Editorial: Olympian supports social media restrictions

California state lawmakers want to curb the growing problem of teen social media addiction by restricting algorithmic feeds, limiting late-night notifications, and requiring parental consent for minors. We at The Olympian believe that, while the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act sounds reasonable on paper, it won’t work in practice unless parents step up and take responsibility for the digital lives of their children.

A law that depends on self-reported birthdays fails to address the common occurrence of kids lying about their age online. Even with ID verification, which some apps have tried, it is easy to get around. Teens can borrow an older sibling’s ID, a parent’s ID, or simply find someone willing to hand theirs over. And even if the system worked, most people are uncomfortable handing their government identification to a social media company that many believe already collects too much personal information.

But the weaknesses of the law don’t erase the problem it’s trying to address. Teens today face algorithmic feeds designed to keep them scrolling for hours. Many students in our school spend eight or more hours on their screens daily, mostly on social media. That comes with real consequences: anxiety, insecurity from constant comparison, parasocial attachment, sleep deprivation, and an overall feeling of losing control. For some kids, that endless scroll is the closest thing our generation has to addiction.

While lawmakers are trying to help, no policy can substitute for actual parenting. Nearly every student who spoke agreed: rules about screen time, nighttime curfews, and phone access are the responsibility of parental figures. Families differ. Children differ. A one-size-fits-all law will never meet everyone’s needs. Only parents can make decisions based on the maturity, habits, and well-being of their own kids.

Still, we shouldn’t dismiss the law entirely. Not all parents enforce boundaries. Some don’t monitor their child’s screen time at all, even when the child is up all night and functioning on almost no sleep. For families like these, the law creates a baseline, an external nudge to remind them that unlimited social media access is not harmless. 

Ultimately, the real solution doesn’t come from Sacramento. It comes from home. Parents must be involved by setting limits, modeling healthy habits, and knowing what their kids are doing online. A law can suggest boundaries, but families must reinforce them.The Olympian overall supports the intent of the law. But the truth is simple: no government policy can replace a parent. Until families take the lead, no amount of regulation will keep teens off their phones at 2 a.m.